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Actors who've played other actors

In the new biopic "Hitchcock," opening in limited release Nov. 23, Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins plays the titular director Alfred Hitchcock, who was known for having cameos in his own movies.

Scarlett Johansson plays Janet Leigh, the star of Hitchcock's "Psycho," in the movie.

Hopkins and Johansson are joined by Jessica Biel (right), who plays actress Vera Miles. Miles played the sister of Janet Leigh's ill-fated character in "Psycho" and also worked with Hitchcock on 1956's "The Wrong Man," opposite Henry Fonda. She also appeared in movies such as "The Searchers" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and was slated to star in Hitchcock's "Vertigo" before she lost her role to Kim Novak due to production delays and her pregnancy.

English actor James D'Arcy, whose resume includes parts in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and "Exorcist: The Beginning," portrays Anthony Perkins, the star of "Psycho," in "Hitchcock."

Lindsay Lohan took on the role of Elizabeth Taylor in "Liz & Dick," a November 2012 Lifetime made-for-TV movie.

"Liz & Dick" looks at the relationship between Taylor and Richard Burton, her fifth and sixth husband, with Burton played by "True Blood" star Grant Bowler.

Michelle Williams earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in 2011's "My Week with Marilyn."

The same movie saw Kenneth Branagh tackle the role of Sir Laurence Olivier, a performance that earned him his own Oscar nomination.

Robert Downey Jr. earned rave reviews and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in 1992's "Chaplin."

"Chaplin" also featured Kevin Kline playing screen legend Douglas Fairbanks.

The Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" saw several real-life actors portrayed on screen, including Jude Law as Errol Flynn and Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn, a role that earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

"The Aviator" also featured Kate Beckinsale playing actress Ava Gardner, the star of such films as "The Killers," "The Barefoot Contessa" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."

The film also had a minor role for singer Gwen Stefani, who played Jean Harlow, whose roles included a starring turn in the Hughes-directed "Hell's Angels" in 1930.

Jim Carrey won rave reviews and a Golden Globe for portraying comedian and "Taxi" star Andy Kaufman in 1999's "Man on the Moon."

Of course, not all all roles playing other actors are award-worthy. In 1982, Faye Dunaway "won" the Worst Actress Razzie for her portrayal of Joan Crawford in "Mommie Dearest."

Christian McKay played a young Orson Welles in 2008's "Me and Orson Welles."

Ben Kingsley played innovative filmmaker Georges Méliès, who starred in many of his own films, in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo."

Ben Affleck played TV's Superman, George Reeves, in 2006's "Hollywoodland."

Greg Kinnear played another TV actor who met a tragic end in "Auto Focus," playing "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane, who was found bludgeoned to death in 1978.

In 2004, Kevin Spacey starred as "Mack the Knife" singer and actor Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea," a movie which he also directed and co-wrote.

Eddie Izzard tried his hand at playing Charlie Chaplin in 2001's "The Cat Meow," which told the semi-true story of a murder that occurred during a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924. Kirsten Dunst also played real-life actress Marion Davies.

On the small screen, Geoffrey Rush tacked the role of funnyman Peter Sellers in HBO's "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers." Charlize Theron played Sellers' wife, actress Britt Ekland, best known as a Bond girl in "The Man with the Golden Gun."

Halle Berry starred as the title character in the 1999 TV movie "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." Dandridge was the first African-American to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, which she earned for 1954's "Carmen Jones."

In 2001, James Franco took on the role of "Rebel Without a Cause" star James Dean in a TNT made-for-TV movie.

Judy Davis, an Oscar nominee for "Husbands and Wives" and "A Passage to India," portrayed Judy Garland in the 2001 made-for-TV movie "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows."

Several Hollywood stars have also tackled playing porn stars in movies, including Val Kilmer's portrayal of John Hughes in 2003's "Wonderland."

And "Big Love" and "Mamma Mia!" star Amanda Seyfried took on the role of "Deep Throat" star Linda Lovelace in the biopic "Lovelace," planned for a release sometime in 2013. The movie also stars James Franco as Hugh Hefner and Sarah Jessica Parker as Gloria Steinem.

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